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| Is there someone who lingers in your memory – someone who makes you wonder what might have been?
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy make magic again, reprising their Before Sunrise roles of Jesse and Celine and reuniting with director Richard Linklater (School of Rock) in this engaging tale of love and renewal. When Jesse and Celine first met in the mid 90s, their few hours together in Vienna were spontaneous and life-altering. Nine years later, lightening strikes twice.
They unexpectedly meet in Paris… and have only one fading afternoon to decide if they should share their tomorrows. Smart, witty, real and unfolding largely in real time to heighten its immediacy, before sunset glows with moments that are every heart’s greatest adventure.
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Here's what our members thought of this title. 5 stars = very good, 1 star = poor.
 |  | What if you had a second chance with the one that got away?
A sweet romantic drama, beautifully shot and deeply felt with an appealing cast and an uncommonly literate screenplay, Before Sunset is as welcome and rejuvenating as a stroll through Paris with the love of your life. Which is really what this movie is all about, just two people alone in the city of love, walking and talking about all things religious, political, philosophical and, of course, emotional.
A welcome sequel to wonderful 1995 romance Before Sunrise, this charming, enthralling movie reunites star-crossed lovers Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy with director Richard Linklater. Ten years down the road, all three are at the height of their powers. As great as the original was, this one’s even better. Like the characters they portray, Hawke and Delpy are older, smarter and wiser than before, much more interesting and multi-faceted, a pleasure to watch because there’s clearly so much going on inside their heads. Not to mention their hearts…
Having spent a single, perfect day together in Vienna in 1995, American boy Jesse (Hawke) and French girl Celine (Delpy) part ways, never to meet again. Or so it appeared. Haunted by the memory of their encounter, Jesse writes a novel about their time together. Both have had trouble moving on as nothing they’ve experienced since has come close to the passion and excitement they felt that day. Jesse’s in a loveless marriage, and so, it turns out, is Celine. Now that’s convenient…
They meet at a Parisian bookstore, not by accident as it’s Celine’s favourite and she knew he’d be there, reading from his book for eager fans. Immediately they hit the streets, walking through the parks, past the streams and by the landmarks that make Paris so distinctively fabulous. They talk about everything, mostly each other. What they’ve been doing. Who they’ve been doing it with. What’s wrong with the world. And why on Earth didn’t they swap phone numbers before they parted in Vienna? "Because we were young and stupid," says Celine. "Do you still think we are?" asks Jesse. "I guess when you’re young," answers Celine, "you just believe they’ll be many people with whom you’ll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times."
With only an hour to spare before Jesse has to go to the airport and leave Paris, maybe forever, he and Celine have a lot of chat to get through and a great deal of soul searching as well. Is this their second chance? Were the two of them meant to be together forever, or, as Celine puts it, are they "…only good at brief encounters, walking around in European cities in warm climates." One thing’s for sure: you’re going want them to hook up. You’re going to fall in love with these two people and long for a happy ending. Or at the very least, a hopeful one. Although there’s very little story to speak of, you’ll be hooked till the end and that’s a testament to the faultless quality of the acting, the necessary simplicity of the direction and the natural, sparky screenplay, co-written by Hawke and Delpy with Linklater and rightly nominated for an Academy Award.
Shot in just fifteen days with a tiny cast and crew, Before Sunset feels like a French flick made by Americans, a peculiar mix of styles and sensibilities that somehow works a treat. Immediate, honest and appealing, it’s a life-affirming pleasure.
© 2005 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.
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